English Meaning & Definitions
Used as a greeting, to begin a telephone conversation, or to express surprise.
- “Hello, how are you doing today?”
- “Hello! I didn't expect to see you here.”
An act of saying 'hello'; a greeting.
- “She gave a quick hello as she walked past.”
- “I heard a friendly hello from the other room.”
Comprehensive Thesaurus Breakdown
Compare formal, informal, literary synonyms and register nuances for “hello”.
The word 'hello' emerged in the early 19th century, likely as a variant of older interjections such as 'hallo' or 'hollo'. These earlier forms were used to attract attention, call out to someone, or express surprise. Its widespread adoption as a standard greeting, particularly over the telephone, is often attributed to Thomas Edison, who advocated for its use in 1877. Before this, other greetings like 'ahoy' were sometimes proposed for telephone communication.
H-E-L-L-O: Hear Everyone, Let's Listen Openly – a friendly way to start a conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions About “hello”
1. What is the meaning of “hello” in English?
In English, hello (interjection) is defined as: “Used as a greeting, to begin a telephone conversation, or to express surprise.”.
2. How do you use “hello” in a sentence?
“Hello, how are you doing today?”
4. What is the etymology and word origin of “hello”?
The word 'hello' emerged in the early 19th century, likely as a variant of older interjections such as 'hallo' or 'hollo'. These earlier forms were used to attract attention, call out to someone, or express surprise. Its widespread adoption as a standard greeting, particularly over the telephone, is often attributed to Thomas Edison, who advocated for its use in 1877. Before this, other greetings like 'ahoy' were sometimes proposed for telephone communication.
🇬🇧More English Words to English
View all English words →The base unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), equal to the duration of 9,192,631,770 periods of the radiation corresponding to the transition between the two hyperfine levels of the ground state of the caesium-133 atom.
A specific duration of time equal to one hour and forty-six minutes and twelve seconds.
The cardinal number equal to one thousand million (1,000,000,000), expressed in scientific notation as 10^9.
A specific duration of time equivalent to one hour and forty-six minutes.